FORT MYERS, Fla. - Daniele Serrano tallied a match-high 12 kills, hit .733 and added seven blocks (one solo) to lead the FGCU volleyball team (24-3, 12-1 ASUN) to a 25-17, 25-16, 27-25 win over North Florida (12-15, 5-7) in Alico Arena on Sunday.

"I am really happy to walk away with a sweep," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "I thought North Florida was doing some nice things, especially from the service line that was causing us some issues, but I'm most happy with our response in the third set after UNF took the lead. I thought our girls scrapped. We weren't executing at a particularly high level, but our hustle earned us a few extra points that ended up being really big."
 
The Eagles, who tied Stephen F. Austin and Western Kentucky for the most wins in the nation with Sunday's outcome, pushed their winning streak to 14 straight overall and have also won 25 consecutive sets, which breaks a tie with the 2017 team for the second longest such stretch in the program's Division I era. They are now five shy of tying the 2007 team's all-time mark, while the overall match streak is just two shy of matching last year's team for the longest in FGCU's annals.
 
FGCU will be back in action on Friday at Kennesaw State (16-8, 9-3). With a win, the Green and Blue would clinch the program's second consecutive outright ASUN regular season title and the top seed in the ASUN tournament, which will be held in Alico Arena Nov. 21-23.
 
Serrano's (Sanford, Fla./Seminole HS) .733 percentage over 15 attempts is her new career-high in a match with at least 10 attacks. It was her second straight outing with double-digits and her fifth such match this year, just one shy of her season-high in kills. Furthermore, the senior middle blocker pushed her career block total to 455, which is 20 shy of passing Meredith Hardy (ETSU, 2010-13, 474.0) for most in ASUN history.
 
Another standout offensively was Snowy Burnam, who had 11 kills and hit .320 over 25 attempts while adding seven digs and three blocks. It was her sixth match with 10 or more kills this year, including her second straight.
 
Burnam (Palm City, Fla./Jensen Beach HS) and Serrano had 23 of FGCU's 41 kills overall, hitting a combined .639. The rest of the team hit .232, although Cortney VanLiew (7) and Erin Shomaker (6) combined for 13 kills.
 
Chelsey Lockey (Eaton, Colo./Eaton HS) orchestrated the offense with 37 assists while adding seven digs and a kill. Fellow sophomore Dana Axner (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman HS) had a match-high 22 digs and two assists. In fact, the libero's total is tied for the eighth-most in a three-set conference match in program history.
 
While Serrano's seven blocks led all players, VanLiew added five (one solo) and Tori Morris (Virginia Beach, Va./Floyd E. Kellam HS) had four (one solo). VanLiew (Seymour, Ind./Columbus East HS) contributed five additional digs, while Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS) added four.
 
Notes
The Green and Blue are now 24-6 all-time against North Florida, having won four straight in straight sets and improving to 12-0 at home all-time against the Ospreys, which includes wins in 33-of-36 sets.
 
FGCU's 24-3 start is the best 27-match opening to a season for the Green and Blue. The previous best was the 2007 team's 23-3 start, and they are now 42-2 in sets against conference teams since their loss to Liberty to open ASUN play.
 
Serrano's seven blocks is tied for sixth-most against an ASUN opponent, while the team's 12.0 blocks (with block assists counting for 0.5 each) is tied for sixth-most in a three-set conference match, just two behind their 14 last year against Jacksonville on Oct. 21, 2018.
 
ASUN Roundup
FGCU will hit the road for their final three regular season matches before hosting the ASUN tournament Nov. 21-23 in Alico Arena. Following Friday's tilt against Kennesaw State, they'll face Lipscomb and NJIT before entering postseason play.

Conference Standings
*1. FGCU - 24-3, 12-1
*2. Kennesaw State - 16-8, 9-3
*3. Liberty - 16-9, 9-4
4. Lipscomb - 12-11, 8-4
5. Stetson - 10-12, 7-5
6. North Florida - 12-15, 5-7
7. Jacksonville - 9-18, 5-8
8. North Alabama - 3-23, 1-12
9. NJIT - 1-27, 0-12
*clinched ASUN tournament berth


 
Fall Sports Single-Game, Season and Group Tickets On Sale
Single game tickets for volleyball, men's soccer and women's soccer are on sale now. Prices are $7 for adults and $5 for military/veterans (with ID) and youth (age 15 and under).
 
For all inquiries, you can visit FGCUtickets.com, call 239-590-7145 or stop by the ticket office, which is open daily Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and one hour prior to all home events.
 
COACH BOTSFORD
Matt Botsford is in his sixth season as head coach of the FGCU women's volleyball program in 2019 after being hired on Feb. 10, 2014. In his tenure, Botsford-led teams have compiled a 139-48 (.743) record overall, including a 69-16 (.812) record in ASUN play. Including this past season, he has taken the program to heights it has not seen in the Division-I era (2007-present) – registering at least 20 wins overall in four straight seasons and at least 10 wins in conference play five straight seasons. Furthermore, the team's offensive efficiency has drastically improved since Botsford started. In his first two seasons, his squad produced hitting percentages of .212 and .220. The next two, which saw .267 and .256 percentages, are the third and fourth highest in program history. In 2018, he led the program to its first regular season championship since 2012 (fourth overall) and its first-ever ASUN tournament title, NCAA tournament appearance, NCAA tournament win and victory over a ranked team. His first two campaigns resulted in ASUN regular season runner-up finishes, and the following two saw the Eagles advance to the tournament championship. On Sept. 10, 2016, Botsford led his team to a five-set win over Indiana in Alico Arena, which signified the program's first-ever win over a team from a Power-5 conference. This past season, he led the team to a win over Miami (Fla.) - the program's first-ever road Power-5 win.
 
#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events in November and April to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.
 
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 79 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 12 plus seasons at the Division-I level. Additionally, in just eight plus seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 36 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including both men's and women's soccer again in 2018. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.35 GPA in the classroom in the spring 2018 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for twenty consecutive semesters. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 – being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
 
--FGCUATHLETICS.COM--